


Come on, Angel

by FlashBastard



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2020-10-25 19:10:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20729312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlashBastard/pseuds/FlashBastard
Summary: Aziraphale is trying to talk Crowley out of something.





	1. Chapter 1

"Crowley, no." Aziraphale said, shaking his head vigorously. 

"And why not?" Crowley looked at Aziraphale over the top of his sunglasses. 

"It's a very bad idea, Crowley. It's been quite a few years. There'll be questions...." Aziraphale looked worried. 

"Questions that can all be reasonably answered. Come on, angel. We have to. Call it a moral obligation." Crowley smirked. 

"A moral obligation? How is this a moral obligation?" Aziraphale crossed his arms. 

"I...well.....I hadn't thought of that yet, exactly." Crowley pushed his sunglasses back up and shrugged. "I'm doing it whether you join me or not." 

"But you can't..." Aziraphale was almost whining. 

"And why can't I?" Crowley raised an eyebrow. The corners of his mouth twisted a little bit. 

"I....hadn't thought of that yet." Aziraphale pouted and Crowley wanted to kiss it away. 

"Like I said, angel. I'm going whether you do or not. The question is, are you going to join me?" This time he let himself smirk. Aziraphale looked torn. He seemed to be having an entire discussion in his head before he finally sighed and gave in. 

"Oh, alright. I'll join you. I'll....come up with something." He made a face. Crowley smiled brightly now. 

"You won't regret it, angel, I promise." He got to his feet and set down the newspaper he'd been holding, though tabloid rag was a more accurate description. On the cover was a picture of a very tense looking Thaddeus Dowling and a headline that read "Scandal in the Dowling household. Warlock Dowling, aged 18, has just become an unwed father."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nanny Ashtoreth returns.

Crowley was actually pretty happy to be back as the nanny. He'd loved taking care of Warlock when he was little and missed it quite often. There were also the clothes. Though everything was quite conservative, there was something nice about wearing a skirt. 

They'd come up with another story for Aziraphale. Brother Francis just didn't seem feasible this time around. Of course Crowley saw that as being the angel's fault for making himself such an advanced age. But it was easy enough to come up with a good backstory. So now, Rachel Ashtoreth and Ezra Fell made their way up to the Dowling's mansion front door. Before either of them could knock, the door came open and Warlock stood on the other side. He stopped just short of running into Ashtoreth. 

"You have grown, haven't you?" She said with a smile. 

"Nanny?" Warlock asked. Ashtoreth found herself very quickly engulfed in a hug. Warlock had grown so that he was almost as tall as she was. 

"Are you alright, dear?" She asked as she rubbed his back slowly. 

"No, not at all." He sighed. 

"I will not have some low income trollop in this house, do you hear me?!" Thaddeus Dowling could be heard yelling from the other room. Aziraphale could see Crowley starting to get a bit angry and he put a hand on her back. 

"Now, darling, you must remain calm, remember?" He said softly. Warlock backed up a little and finally looked at the man standing next to his favorite nanny. 

"Who's this?" He asked. 

"This is my husband, Ezra. Ezra, this is Warlock Dowling." She smiled. 

"So nice to finally meet the boy that my dear wife has been going on about for years." He smiled and offered a hand. Warlock shook the offered hand but looked at Ashtoreth a bit confused. 

"I thought you were married to Brother Francis?" He furrowed his brow. 

"Oh no, dear." Ashtoreth offered a soft smile. "Brother Francis and I were just very good friends. Though he was the one that introduced me to Ezra here." 

"Oh goodness, Mrs. Ashtoreth..." Harriet Dowling said as she came to the door after her son. "It seems you have rather impeccable timing." 

"The newspapers did help with that, dear." Ashtoreth nodded. "This is my husband, Ezra Fell. He works absolute miracles in the kitchen." 

"Oh, that's wonderful. We just had to let our cook go..." Harriet said. "I'll get a nice room set up for the two of you." She smiled. 

"I don't mean to pry, Mrs Dowling, but it sounds as if your husband would object to needing the services of a nanny." Ezra said. 

"He's saying she can't come live here." Warlock glared in Thaddeus' general direction before looking back at his nanny. He really had missed her. 

"Mrs Dowling. I would like to borrow your son for a little while if I could. It'll give you time to talk some sense into your husband." Ashtoreth's words were tense and Ezra could see that she was fighting to keep from going off. 

"Of course." Harriet nodded. 

"Come along, Warlock." Ashtoreth offered her arm to the boy and he took it happily. 

"Where are we going?" Warlock asked as they headed down the stairs and to a car that was waiting just outside the gate. Harriet shut the door behind them and went to go tell her husband what was and wasn't going to happen in his own home. 

"We're going to get your child and their mother and bring them here." She smiled. 

"It's a little girl." Warlock smiled proudly. "We um.....we named her Rachel." 

"Oh my dear boy you are going to make me cry." Ashtoreth gave his arm a little squeeze. Warlock smiled. Aziraphale followed quietly behind them. He certainly wasn't sure what Crowley had in mind.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Retrieving the baby

As the limo drove them through the city, Ashtoreth was starting to understand what Thaddeus had been yelling about. They were starting to get into the less than nice parts of London and she was getting a bit worried. 

"Warlock, dear, how did you meet this girl?" She asked, keeping her tone even. She didn't want Warlock to think she was judging him. 

"She goes to my private school. She got a scholarship. Her name is Maggie and she's really smart and funny and nice." Warlock smiled a little as he thought about her. Ezra had seen that look a few times on several faces throughout his life. 

"She must be pretty special." Ashtoreth nodded. 

"She really is." Warlock grinned. "Super special." They pulled up in front of an apartment block and Warlock got out, offering a hand to Ashtoreth as Ezra got out the other side. 

"I'm glad to see your father didn't have any say in your manners, my boy." Ashtoreth said as she took the offered hand and got out of the car. She straightened her skirt and then motioned for Warlock to lead the way. 

"Mom insisted that I know the right way to treat a lady." Warlock said with a shrug. Thank Satan for Harriet Dowling, Ashtoreth thought. They got to the right apartment and she looked at Warlock. 

"Let me do the talking, alright dear?" She smiled and Warlock nodded. Ashtoreth knocked on the door and held herself at her best posture. Ezra stood off to her left and Warlock was on her right. A smile spread across her face as a young girl opened the door with a beautiful baby in her arms. She was a small thing, barely over five feet, and had red hair and bright blue eyes. The baby had the same flaming locks, though she was asleep at the moment. 

"Um, can I help you?" She asked, looking up at Ashtoreth. She smiled a little when she spotted Warlock, but then looked at the very tall woman in front of her again. 

"Hello, dear. My name is Rachel Ashtoreth. I was Warlock's nanny when he was a baby." She smiled. "We're actually here about your little girl." She motioned to the baby. Maggie held her a little closer, protectively. 

"You're not taking her away from me...." She started to back away a bit. "Warlock, you promised...." Warlock started to step forward but Ashtoreth stopped him. 

"We're not here to take her away from you, dear. I was simply going to ask if I could watch her for you while you get packed. The both of you. So that you can come live at the mansion. Together." She made it a point to be very clear about it being the both of them and not just the baby. 

"I...um....but my dad...." Maggie started. 

"Your dad will do just fine without you in the house, darling girl." A rather large man, a little taller than Ashtoreth, came out of the kitchen. Maggie must have resembled her mother because her father had dark hair and dark eyes. He was actually rather attractive, in his own way. 

"Are you sure?" Maggie went over to stand closer to him. 

"Maggie, love, if you're being offered a better life than I can give you, take it." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Please. Don't let your little girl go without on my account." 

"Your father can visit whenever he likes." Ezra said, stepping out a bit. "We'll even send a car around." 

"See? You won't even get a chance to miss me." He smiled. Maggie nodded and looked at all of them for a moment. 

"I hope you don't mind but I really would rather have my dad watch her while I pack. If it's okay." Maggie looked worried. 

"Of course, dear." Ashtoreth nodded. "You've only just met me, I don't expect you to trust me this instant. Would you like some help packing? I'm sure we can leave the men to talk." 

"I...that would he great, yeah." Maggie nodded. Ashtoreth gave both Warlock and Ezra a quick kiss on the cheek before following Maggie back to her bedroom. There wasn't much talking amongst the men in the living room while the women packed. They discussed what they did for a living and a few books that they'd all read. It didn't take long before Maggie and Ashtoreth were setting bags in the living room. 

"Ezra, my love, be a dear and help with these. You too, Warlock." Ashtoreth smiled and then went over to Maggie's father. She looked down at the baby and reached up to lightly run the back of her finger against her cheek. "She really is beautiful." 

"Warlock said he named her after you. You must have made quite the impression." Maggie's father said. 

"When you love someone with everything that you are and you show them that love on a daily basis, it tends to make an impression." Ashtoreth smiled at him. He handed over the baby and Ashtoreth nearly melted when she took her. "I promise you, sir, this little girl will know nothing but love for the rest of her life." Even if it meant having to deal with Thaddeus Dowling in an unpleasant way. 

"I'm going to hold you to that." He said with a nod. It was a promise and Ashtoreth expected nothing less. She smiled and with the baby in her arms, started to head toward the door. Maggie took a moment to say a proper goodbye to her father before following them all out to the car. Once everything was arranged and everyone properly strapped in, they headed back to the mansion. All they could do was hope that Harriet had gotten her husband straightened out before they got back.


	4. Chapter 4

"Is everything settled?" Ashtoreth asked Harriet as she walked into the house. Maggie was carrying her daughter and the men were busy bringing the bags into the house. 

"As far as I'm concerned it is. I've got a room for Maggie and the baby close to yours so you can help out. And Thaddeus is handled." Harriet gave her a forced smile. 

"Is everything alright, dear?" Ashtoreth put a hand on Harriet's arm. 

"Until Thaddeus can appreciate the existence of his granddaughter and act accordingly, he will be staying in the guest house. He's not very happy about that." Harriet sighed heavily. 

"Well, he can be not happy about it all he likes. It's his own doing, really." Ashtoreth would have to go have a word with Mr Dowling. "Now, why don't you go help Maggie get settled in. I'm sure you'd like to spend time with little Rachel." It still made her a bit misty eyed to know the baby was named after her. 

"Thank you." Harriet smiled and met up with Maggie, showing her to the room she'd set up. 

"You've got that look in your eye." Ezra said as he walked up to Ashtoreth. 

"You can't even see my eyes so how do you know?" She looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. 

"Because I know you. And it's an expression anyway. What are you going to do?" He never really was intimidated by Crowley in any form. 

"Nothing for the moment." Ashtoreth sighed a bit. "I'm giving myself time to calm down so I don't do something really awful like slowly and painfully disembowel him or something along those lines." She clenched her fists and then let her hands relax. 

"That's a very good strategy." Ezra put a hand on the small of her back and rubbed little circles. It tended to help her relax. "Let's get some tea and then we can talk while I start dinner." 

"Of course, dear." Ashtoreth gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading to the kitchen. A little conversation with her husband would easily make her less likely to do something irreversible to Thaddeus Dowling.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ashtoreth and Thaddeus have a talk.

"You!" Thaddeus said as Ashtoreth walked up to the guest house. 

"Yes?" Ashtoreth asked with an innocent smile. The sunglasses hid the anger in her eyes. 

"You got me kicked out of my own home." He said, coming down the stairs and stalking toward her. Ashtoreth straightened up a bit as she walked toward him. 

"Oh, that had absolutely nothing to do with me, Mr. Dowling." Ashtoreth didn't falter at all as he moved closer to her. 

"I wouldn't be out here if you hadn't shown back up in our lives." He tried to be intimidating and it clearly wasn't working. 

"That is entirely untrue and you know it." Ashtoreth just looked at him. She could tell he had no idea what to do with the fact that she wasn't afraid of him. "You did this entirely on your own. Now, if you're willing to be nice and accepting of your granddaughter, you can come back to the main house." 

"That child doesn't belong in my house." Thaddeus glared at Ashtoreth. 

"That child has your DNA whether you like it or not. She is a sweet, innocent baby that wants nothing but love. And her mother is quite a lovely young woman." It was taking everything that Ashtoreth had to keep from doing horrible things to Thaddeus Dowling.

"She only exists so that her mother could trap my son..." Thaddeus started. Ashtoreth held up her hand and just kept staring at him. 

"You will stop right this moment. Maggie wants nothing of the sort. I actually had to talk her into coming to live here at the mansion instead of staying in that horrible apartment with her father." Ashtoreth kept her hand up as if to keep Thaddeus shushed. 

"That's what she said..." He started and Ashtoreth raised an eyebrow. 

"There is one thing that I am very good at, Mr Dowling, and that is telling when someone is lying. I can sense deceit from ten miles away. This girl is not trying to trap your son. She's not trying to get your money. She genuinely loves Warlock and she wants nothing from you. The only reason she's even here right now is because she wants a better life for her daughter than she can provide." Ashtoreth took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Now, you can either stop all of this nonsense that is just for show because of your toxic masculinity that quite frankly put Warlock in this position to begin with and come hold your granddaughter, or you can stay out here in this guest house and fume over something that absolutely can not and will not be changed. Which shall it be?" 

"How dare you talk to me like this? I am..." Thaddeus started. This time Ashtoreth actually made him be quiet with a little wave of her hand. He looked like a fish out of water as he tried to talk but nothing came out. 

"I know exactly who you are, Thaddeus Dowling. You are a man who was raised to be a 'good old American male'" She said the last bit in a forced American accent. "Which is, frankly, rather boring and ridiculous. You are a man who insists on being a man's man to the detriment of every single person around him. You have spent your entire life hiding from the emotions you have because that's what you were taught to do. Unlearn that very quickly, Mr. Dowling, or you will lose your entire family. Because I can assure you that no one is going to treat that little girl with anything but love and respect as long as I have anything to say about it. Have I made myself perfectly clear?" She still held her right hand up to keep him silenced but her left hand was clenched in a fist so tight her nails were digging into her palms. 

Thaddeus tried to speak but then just nodded. Ashtoreth decided to leave him silent for a little while longer as she turned to walk away. She made her way into the kitchen and stood by the island for a moment. Ezra came over and put a hand on the small of her back. 

"Is everything alright, dear?" He asked softly. He could feel the tension in her back through her blouse and he sent a little soothing through the contact, hoping it would help. Ashtoreth just stared at the table for a moment before picking up the rather large knife that was laying there and stabbing it into the cutting board. 

"Perfectly fine." She said after a moment. She gave Ezra a quick kiss on the lips. "I believe I should go work on some needle point darling." She nodded and kissed him one more time before she left the kitchen. Needle point was only done when she wanted to stab something repeatedly so he was going to make sure that everyone stayed clear of her for the next little while. When he pulled the knife out of the cutting board and then moved the board, he wasn't at all surprised to find a hole in the table as well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Talk of the future

"Please don't take this the wrong way but I don't want my child raised by a nanny." Maggie said as she was rocking her little girl in the nursery. Ashtoreth smiled softly, pulling up a chair next to the rocking chair. 

"I'm simply here to help, dear." Ashtoreth smiled at the baby before looking at Maggie. "You do still need to go to school and you will have homework. I'll be here to take care of her during those times but you'll be responsible for her care otherwise." 

"I think I can agree to that." Maggie nodded. "My dad was afraid I'd have to drop out...." She sighed softly, looking down at her now sleeping daughter. 

"I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen, dear. Your schooling is very important." Ashtoreth nodded. 

"Warlock said that you pretty much raised him until he started school. That his parents weren't around much." Maggie got up and went to put Rachel in her crib. 

"That is true, I'm afraid." Ashtoreth sighed softly. "Harriet Dowling loves her son more than anything but she was a bit overwhelmed with everything. And Thaddeus....well work was more important to him even though he said otherwise." There was no hiding the fact that Ashtoreth really didn't like Thaddeus. 

"What about this Brother Francis he talks about?" Once Rachel was settled into the crib, Maggie made a motion for Ashtoreth to follow her as they left the nursery. She had the speaker end of a baby monitor in her hand. 

"Brother Francis was the gardener while Warlock was little. We both tried to teach him as he was growing up. He was a very dear friend of mine." Ashtoreth nodded. "Warlock adored him." 

"What happened to him?" Maggie asked. It was a question that Ashtoreth knew she was going to get eventually. 

"He wasn't exactly a young man when he was working for the Dowlings. Shortly after we left their service, he did retired but the years hadn't been very kind to him. It was actually not long after Ezra and I got married that his age caught up to him, I'm afraid." She sighed heavily and cleared her throat. 

"I'm so sorry." Maggie said as she put a hand on Ashtoreth's arm. Ashtoreth patted Maggie's hand. 

"It's quite alright, dear. It was a while ago. I've had time to grieve. And I had my Ezra to help me." She smiled softly. Maggie just nodded. The two of them went into the kitchen to get some tea. Ezra was there and Ashtoreth went over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Could we get some tea my love?" 

"Of course, darling." Ezra said with a bright smile, returning the kiss on the cheek before going about making their tea. It was rather domestic and Ashtoreth found herself liking it a bit more than she thought she would. 

"I really hope that one day Warlock and I can get married. Maybe after we finish schooling. It'd be nice." Maggie said as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Ashtoreth sat across from her and nodded. 

"I'm very sure that you'll be able to do exactly that." She reached over and patted Maggie's hand. "And perhaps your little girl could be the flower girl." 

"That would be great, wouldn't it?" Maggie chuckled. 

"Now, don't go planning the wedding just yet, ladies." Ezra said as he brought over the tea and some biscuits. "You've got some time yet." 

"What was your wedding like?" Maggie took her cup of tea and sipped it as she looked at them expectantly. Ezra cleared his throat and looked at Ashtoreth as he took a seat having gotten himself a cup of tea as well. 

"It was actually rather simple. Just the two of us, Brother Francis of course. We didn't want anything too extravagant." Ashtoreth grinned. She'd actually been thinking about what their wedding would have been like. 

"What about your parents?" Maggie asked as she sipped her tea. 

"Oh, Ezra's parents were too far away to be able to travel and my parents.....well they died quite a long time ago." Ashtoreth stirred her tea as she answered the question. "Brother Francis was the closest thing I had to a father. It was still a very lovely ceremony." 

"I wouldn't mind something simple like that." Maggie nodded. "Though knowing Harriet Dowling it'll probably end up being a huge state affair." She made a face. "With a lot of people I don't even know being invited to attend." 

"Harriet isn't an unreasonable woman, dear." Ezra said. "I'm sure she'd be happy to let the two of you plan things. When you're ready, that is." He eyed Ashtoreth for a moment. 

"Why don't we worry about taking care of your beautiful little girl right now and we'll worry about your wedding when the time comes, hmm?" Ashtoreth asked with a bit of a smirk. She chuckled when Maggie blushed. 

"I keep getting ahead of myself." She giggled a little and sipped her tea. "There's years before we even need to worry about it." 

"Exactly, dear." Ashtoreth nodded. The three of them sat there drinking tea and talking until the baby monitor picked up Rachel crying from the nursery. Maggie got up and went to take care of her. 

"Do you think they'll actually get married?" Ezra asked after Maggie was out of earshot. 

"One can only hope." Ashtoreth said softly. She really did just want what was best for both of them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A slight emergency with an angelic remedy.

Ashtoreth sighed heavily as there was a knock on her bedroom door. 

"Just ignore it." Ezra said, trying to pull her back into bed. Ashtoreth pointed at the door. 

"That girl almost never comes to bother us at night and I know you can hear the baby crying." She gave him a look as she tied her robe closed. She just barely remembered to slip her sunglasses on before opening the door. 

"I'm so sorry to bother you." Maggie said, sounding frantic. "She won't stop crying and she's warm and I don't know what to do...." 

"It's alright, dear." Ashtoreth said with a smile. She stepped out into the hallway and held her hands out for the baby. Maggie handed her over. Ashtoreth tried to hide her frown. Rachel was rather warm. "Have you taken her temperature?" 

"No. I couldn't find the thermometer...." Maggie ran her fingers through her hair. "I was trying to look for it and comfort her at the same time and Warlock won't wake up. I swear he'll sleep through anything." 

"It's okay. Calm down. Take a breath. Babies can tell when you're stressed and it does cause them a bit of anxiety as well. Now, let me go get the thermometer out of my bathroom. Okay?" Ashtoreth nodded. She kept a hold of Rachel as she went back into her room, shutting the door behind her. Her smile faded as soon as the door was shut. 

"She's really warm." She said as she took Rachel over to lay her on the bed next to Ezra. "Let me get the thermometer but I'm worried." Those last two words weren't something that Ashtoreth said often. 

"Goodness." Ezra put the back of his hand on the baby's forehead and frowned. "She is rather warm." He picked her up and tried to comfort her. Ashtoreth came over and ran the digital thermometer over Rachel's forehead. She hissed at the readout. 

"102. That's very much not good for a baby." Ashtoreth reached out for Rachel and Ezra just looked at her. He reached up and gently ran his hand over the baby's head, a faint glow coming from his hand. He ran his hand down over her chest as well. 

"Right as rain, aren't we darling?" Ezra said to Rachel who was now considerably calmer. He finally handed the baby over and Ashtoreth kissed her forehead. She relaxed a bit and smiled at Ezra. 

"Thank you, my dear." She was obviously relieved. 

"It's no trouble at all." Ezra smiled in return. Ashtoreth took the baby out into the hall and returned her to her mother. 

"She's fine now, dear. Seems that the warmth was from a bit of overexertion. Now that she's calm, she's cooled down." Ashtoreth gave Rachel another kiss on the forehead. 

"Thank you so much." Maggie seemed to relax instantly. "Maybe now I can get her back to sleep." She bounced Rachel a little bit before heading to her own room. Ashtoreth went back into her room and removed her robe before getting back in bed. She gave Ezra a quick kiss on the lips. 

"I know I said it already but thank you." She smiled. Ezra reached out and removed her sunglasses, setting them on the nightstand before he put a hand on her cheek. 

"You know I would do anything for you, my love." He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. There was a very brief moment when Crowley realized that in that moment, Aziraphale was talking to Crowley rather than Ezra talking to his wife. She shivered slightly before turning her face to kiss the palm caressing her cheek. 

"The feeling is most definitely mutual, my dear." She grinned.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thaddeus comes to his senses.

It wasn't until after little Rachel's first birthday that Thaddeus Dowling stopped being what Ashtoreth liked to call an insufferable twat. Against Harriet's advice, Maggie and Warlock invited Thaddeus to the birthday party. Seeing a prime opportunity for some good publicity, of course Thaddeus agreed to come as long as at least one reporter was allowed to be in attendance. And one photographer. 

"What should I do?" Maggie asked as she watched Ashtoreth play with Rachel. 

"It's entirely up to you, dear." Ashtoreth smiled. She was helping Rachel stand up on her thighs and making faces at her. The sound of a baby laughing was one of her favorite sounds. 

"He's just using it to make himself look good." Maggie made a face as she looked over the list of other people that would be attending. 

"You know, dear. There is a good chance that it could be more than that." Ashtoreth kept her eyes on Rachel to make sure she wouldn't fall down. "There hasn't been a single person that has met this child that hasn't instantly fallen in love with her. Perhaps the same could be said for her grandfather." 

"Do you think so?" Maggie said a bit hopefully. 

"All you can do is try. If meeting her and holding her doesn't melt his ice cold heart then nothing will and you'll know before she has a chance to get attached to him." Ashtoreth shrugged. Rachel let go of her finger and reached for her necklace which she very quickly tucked under her blouse. 

"You're right." Maggie nodded. She made the necessary phone call and agreed to Thaddeus' demands. The day of the party a reporter was there with a photographer in tow. They covered the party and made sure to get plenty of shots of Thaddeus with his granddaughter.

"Maggie, might I have a word with you?" Thaddeus asked as he approached. Ashtoreth immediately got between them. 

"That quite depends on what you have to say, Mr. Dowling." Ashtoreth said his name like it was an insult. 

"It's alright, Nanny. He can talk." Maggie said. She was holding Rachel against her hip, the baby playing with her mother's fingers. Ashtoreth reluctantly stepped aside and let him move a little closer. 

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." He sounded genuine. At least she hoped he was. 

"For what, exactly?" Maggie raised an eyebrow. He might be apologizing but she wasn't going to make it easy. 

"For....behaving the way I have been. I've been a blind idiot. I should have been able to see past your background to the person you really are. Rachel is a wonderful little girl and she's very lucky to have a mother that loves her as much as you do." 

"And father." Warlock said as he stepped up beside Maggie. 

"Yes, absolutely." Thaddeus nodded. "She couldn't hope for any better parents than you two." Thaddeus nodded again. 

"What do you think, Nanny?" Warlock looked at Ashtoreth. "You said you can always tell when someone is lying." 

"I can. It's a bit of a gift." Ashtoreth looked at Thaddeus carefully. He squirmed a little bit under her gaze but he didn't back away. "Say it again." 

"What?" Thaddeus raised an eyebrow. 

"I want you to apologize to them again. I want to get a good look at you as you say it." Ashtoreth really didn't believe that he was sincere. He was a politician after all. 

"I'm sorry. To both of you. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. It was stupid and petty and I was wrong." Thaddeus kept his eyes on his son. 

"He's not lying." Ashtoreth said with a nod before going over to take Rachel from Maggie. "You three have quite a bit to talk about and this little one is tired." She then made her way into the house. 

"What do you think they're saying?" Ezra asked as Ashtoreth brought Rachel into the kitchen. She wanted to get her a bottle to help her sleep. 

"I'm not really sure. Someone apologizing for wrongly thinking you don't belong in their world is unfamiliar territory." There was a tiny bit of venom in her words. She cleared her throat, hating that that ancient wound still seemed to be fresh. 

"Darling...." Ezra started. 

"Don't. It's fine." Ashtoreth cleared her throat. "I'm sure that Thaddeus will be back in the main house by the end of the evening. Depending on Harriet of course." Ashtoreth walked over and gave Ezra and quick kiss on the lips. "Be a dear and make sure there's an extra place for supper." 

"Of course." Ezra nodded. He gave Rachel a kiss on the forehead which earned him a giggle from the baby before Ashtoreth took her upstairs to lay her down for a nap. At least the family seemed to be working things out.


End file.
